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State Offers Free Resources to Help Quit Smoking

Posted:
11/15/2012 01:50:59 PM MST

SANTA FE - The New Mexico Department of Health is encouraging New Mexicans who smoke or use tobacco products to utilize free services that provide helpful tools they can use to quit. Thursday, November 15 is the annual American Cancer Society® Great American Smokeout®, a day when smokers across the nation make a plan to quit, or plan in advance and then quit smoking that day.

"Quitting smoking is tough and many smokers have to try several times before quitting for good," said Benjamin Jacquez, Program Manager for the Department's Tobacco Use Prevention & Control Program. "Whether you start small and quit for 24 hours, or you quit for life, November 15 is your chance to take a step toward a life free from tobacco."

An estimated 284,900 New Mexican adults currently smoke. Tobacco use results in about 2,100 deaths in New Mexico each year. Also, an estimated 42,000 New Mexicans are afflicted with tobacco-related diseases. Cigarette smoking has a harmful impact on nearly every organ in the human body and is linked to conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart disease, stroke, pneumonia, and cancers of the lung, stomach, pancreas, cervix, and kidney. The leading causes of smoking-related death in New Mexico are COPD (which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis) and lung cancer.

Tobacco users can access free cessation services through the department's statewide toll free number 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or online at QuitNowNM.

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com. The Department offers free counseling services and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, lozenges and gum) for participants who register. Cessation services have been expanded to meet the diverse needs of tobacco users.

Participants can access services 24 hours a day in English or Spanish. Other languages are available through a 200 option language line. TTY is available for the deaf and hard of hearing. Registered participants can also take advantage of more help by opting for text message support.
The department reports that more than 11,000 New Mexicans accessed cessation services annually for the past three years through 1-800-QUIT NOW or QuitNowNM.com. Adult smoking in NM declined from 23.8% in 2001 to 18.5% in 2010, representing 81,400 fewer smokers in 2010.
Smoking is estimated to cost New Mexico $461 million in direct health care costs and $493 million in lost productivity. In 2012, the state excise tax per pack of cigarettes is $1.66, while the average retail price of a pack of cigarettes is $6.06. Each pack of cigarettes sold in New Mexico costs the state about $14.00 in smoking-related medical and lost productivity costs.

The Department of Health works with communities, schools and organizations across the state to promote healthy, tobacco-free lifestyles and reduce tobacco-related illnesses. The Department's Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program is a comprehensive, evidence-based public health program aimed at reducing the health and economic burden caused by tobacco.

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